Transistors used for most flat panel displays typified by a liquid crystal display device and a light-emitting display device are formed using silicon semiconductors such as amorphous silicon, single crystal silicon, and polycrystalline silicon provided over glass substrates. The transistors formed using such silicon semiconductors are also used in integrated circuits (ICs) and the like.
In recent years, attention has been drawn to a technique in which, instead of a silicon semiconductor, a metal oxide exhibiting semiconductor characteristics is used for transistors. Note that in this specification, a metal oxide exhibiting semiconductor characteristics is referred to as an oxide semiconductor.
For example, disclosed is a technique in which a transistor is manufactured using zinc oxide or an In—Ga—Zn oxide as an oxide semiconductor and the transistor is used as a switching element or the like of a pixel of a display device (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).